What Would the Neighbors Think?
by Point of Reason
Summary: What WOULD the neighbors think if they lived next to Bella?  Just for fun, completely not serious.  Still.  Read and Review!  Over 5,800 hits.
1. Author's Note

**Okay. So I know the last thing I should be doing while I'm still writing Moonrise is start another fanfiction, but I just couldn't help myself. The idea came to me and I had to pounce on it before someone else's brilliant mind landed on it. :)**

**It's basically just following one neighbor, and it'll jump around from past and present most likely. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY! I know that no one out there **_**really**_** has a crush on poor, old Charlie. So just laugh with me, be humored. It's not serious, it's just for fun, and I won't be updating it as much as Moonrise (at least until I'm finished with it. Then, we'll see…). SO JUST ENJOY IT! **

**Safety, love, happiness,**

**--Mel**


	2. S W E E T  S O R R O W

1. S W E E T S O R R O W

I had always expected just to have kids. I never bothered to think how or with whom, I just always expected them to be there someday. I was going to have a little girl named Baily and twin boys: Cole and Aidan. I figured I'd have a husband, of course. He'd be a loving father, always teaching the boys new games and sports and such. They'd watch baseball games on Monday s while Baily and I would talk about the boy she liked in school.

I had made that vow to myself, as most young soon-to-be-mothers do – I would be the "cool mom". The mom that didn't set a curfew and didn't care who her kids were friends with – as long as they didn't do anything _too_ illegal. When they got older, I would be the mom they called when they needed a ride home from a party where everyone was too drunk to drive. And because I was such a "cool mom" my kids would actually talk to me about their lives.

I also knew that my views would change and I would grow more and more protective the older they got.

Yes, that was the life I'd pictured myself having, yet, somehow I'd never gotten around to making it happen. I looked down at my half eaten, leftover chicken salad and sighed. _Face it,_ I told myself; _you're doomed to a life of loneliness._

Jocelyn Johnson was the name – yes, my cruel parents actually named me _Jocelyn Johnson_. And it wasn't that I'd never met anyone that I wouldn't consider as a husband or father – it was that he'd met someone before me. Someone he'd just never gotten over.

It was years ago that he'd moved in next door – I'd still been living with my parents, a mere nineteen years old, at the time. He was handsome, charming, humorous, and married. He was still young – about twenty-six – when he and his wife and their _baby_ moved into the Peterson's old house. The Swan family: Renée, Isabella, and _Charlie._ Twenty-six with a four-month-old baby and a year-old marriage that was falling to pieces.

I wasn't sure why they'd come to Forks – all I knew was that I was overjoyed that they had.

Yes, to my morbid pleasure, their marriage was on the rocks. Their yelling often carried through the hedges, usually followed by the woman's car screeching angrily away. Once, after a particularly nasty fight filled with profound language and hurtful names, I decided to try my luck with comforting Officer Swan.

As I cautiously made my way over to his quaint little house, I thought about how much his being a policeman turned me on. I could just picture it – me, cooking dinner when he came home in his police uniform. The kids would already be in bed, leaving us completely free to do whatever we wanted…

I smiled at the daydream and found myself in front of his door. Without hesitation, I rapped my knuckles against the wood. Charlie answered it looking adorably distressed.

"Oh! Hello…?"

"Jocelyn."

"Jocelyn. What can I do for you?"

A sudden rush of compassion surged through me. I wanted to throw myself at the young man in front of me! Everything about him just drove me completely wild! His curly, golden-brown locks; those dark, mysterious eyes; his authoritative voice; but most of all that handsome, no, _gorgeous_ smile… But here he was – completely broken – asking if _he_ could do something for _me_. Renée didn't know how good she had it.

_Oh, you can do something for me, alright, Officer Swan…_ "Actually, I couldn't help but overhear the little… argument just now."

His face fell even more, if that were possible. "You could hear that from all the way over…" his voice trailed and he shook his head, tiredly. He stepped back and motioned for me to come in. I beamed at him and stepped across the threshold.

His little house smelled strongly of fresh paint, and I realized that the kitchen had recently been painted yellow – not a all an appealing color. To me, at least.

Charlie caught me inspecting the bright yellow cabinets and chuckled fondly. "My wife…" he said sadly. "She doesn't like it here."

His voice broke on the last word.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

I nodded, smiling sympathetically.

I went to sit at the table while Charlie bustled around the kitchen, filling a filter with coffee grounds and the pot with water. After turning on the machine, he came and sat across from me at the table. There was a moment of silence during which the coffee pot rumbled idly, but before it could get awkward, I spoke up.

"Why is she always yelling at you, Char?"

Charlie's eyes were tortured, anguished, as he answered. "Well. She… _really_ doesn't like it here. But I do. This… this is home to me. I can't imagine living anywhere else, you know? But, Renée, she can't sit still. Not for one minute," an affectionate smile played across his face, but it vanished as he continued. "She hates it here. The weather, mostly, I think. She… she says it's killing her."

As much as I wanted Charlie all for myself, I couldn't help but let my heart reach out to him in his distress. The poor man was obviously head over heels for his wife, and she was a restless spirit. It had to be killing him, too.

I reached across the table and timidly took Charlie's hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "She'll get used to it here," I comforted.

A week later, she left him for good.


	3. T H I R T E E N  Y E A R S

2. T H I R T E E N Y E A R S

I tried to be chivalrous at first; attempting to conceal my euphoria at the fact that Renée had left – with the baby. At least she had been courteous enough to take any reminders with her – the baby. At least there was nothing left for Charlie to dwell on but memories. I was over at Officer Swan's house nearly everyday when he came home from work. I began to cook for him after I'd come over one day and seen that he'd almost burned the house down trying to make something he called "fish fry".

It was utterly aggravating that he still seemed to see me as nothing more than a friend. I had come over to help him through his tough time at first, yes, but how long did it take to get over a woman? Especially a woman as erratic and flaky as Renée?

Still, I thanked the Lord that she'd taken the baby with her. The last thing I needed in my attempts to woo Charlie was a toddler crawling around. Oh, yes, I wanted kids. My _own_ kids. Not Renée's mess. Little baby Bella was not someone I wanted to be concerned about while I was trying to get it on with Officer Swan.

But the damned baby came back! Every summer for about thirteen years. Thirteen long, agonizing years of waiting for that God forsaken man to get over that… that… _woman!_

Thirteen years. I'd watched Charlie, waited for Charlie, tried to win Charlie's affections for thirteen unbearably long years. I watched him graduate from Officer Swan to Chief Swan, I spent long, boring summer days down at different rivers with him and his crude man friends from La Push and tried to join in their conversations while they fished, I comforted him when his best friend was in a car accident that left him paralyzed, and I listened to his rambling tales of what had happened that day that affected his Police Chief duties. And thirteen years spending a month undoing all of that and steering clear while his precious little _Bella_ came to visit. I'd endured many a discussions leading up to Bella's return to Forks, listening to how thrilled Charlie got when his daughter came to this gloomy little town.

Then, finally, she stopped coming. I'd wondered why, of course. But it took me a couple years to summon the courage to ask about it. The forty-one year old was still insanely adorable and manly. I, a matured age of thirty-four, was still head over heels for the man.

It was one day that I was over making tacos for he and I that I asked.

"Char, why doesn't your daughter come to visit anymore?" I hoped that the question wouldn't raise pessimist emotions – then again, if it did, I was here to comfort – but my fears were put to rest when he cheerfully stated that they spent their visits in California for a week in the summer.

I pouted down at the seasoned hamburger meat that was simmering on the stove. So, little Bella Swan _hadn't_ ceased to exist or bitched out her father or disappeared off the face of the earth as I'd hoped. I had figured as much. If Bella had died Charlie would have surely told me. Wouldn't he?

Well, he surely told me when she was coming to _live_ with him.

Two more years later, he a young forty-three and I, my current age of thirty-six, he got a call from Renée.

It was a rainy night – was there any other kind, in Forks? – and he came rushing home from work. I was already in the kitchen, boiling some chicken on the stove. The door had burst open and Chief Swan had wasted no time in hanging up his gun on the hook in the front hall.

"Jocelyn, you'll never guess what!" came his boisterous voice from the living room.

Intrigued, I remained silent.

"Bella's going to come! She's going to stay here!"

I could feel my jaw drop, but I couldn't muster the strength to close it – it felt so goddamned heavy.

"Isn't this great?! Oh, I should get her something for when she comes home. Do you think a car would be too much?"

Snapping back to reality, I regained what dignity I had left by straightening up my shoulders and raising my chin, indignantly. Charlie didn't notice.

"Billy Black has that old truck… it's not like _he_ can drive it anymore…" Charlie was lost in thought.

I sniffed, resentfully. The most Charlie had ever gotten me was a sweater for Christmas last year. Otherwise it was always coupons for the grocery store, or gift cards to stores that I never had time to go to. And now, at the mention of his _daughter_ coming home, he had to go run out and buy a truck. Enough was enough, it was time to take some drastic measures to get myself more involved in this man's life.

"You know, Char," I began. Suddenly my stomach knotted up. What if he rejected me? I wouldn't be able to stand it. And it wasn't as if we lived on opposite ends of the earth. We were next-door neighbors in the smallest town on the face of the earth – we were bound to run into each other fairly often. I quickly changed lanes with my conversation, "I think she'd love that truck."

The smile that lit up his face was reward enough for me.

But I did need to start taking it up a notch. When Bella came back, she would be a constant reminder of Charlie's relationship with Renée. As if there weren't enough of those around this house. The hideous yellow kitchen, the picture of their wedding day hanging on the wall…

I took every opportunity I could to take that picture down, but it always found its way back up to the nail. Charlie had asked me about it once. I denied knowing anything about it, suggesting that maybe the frame was faulty.

"When's she due to come, Char?"

"Well, Renée" – I clenched my jaw. So he still talked to her, then? – "said that she'd send her up next weekend.

Next weekend. It was Thursday. I had a little over a week to convince Charlie that we were made for each other before little baby Bella came to ruin everything.

My mind started to cook up diabolical plans. A romantic dinner out for two, a candle lit dinner in, a picnic on a sunny day, letting Chief Swan come home to find me cooking with nothing but an apron on…

I, unfortunately, chickened out of putting any of my plans into action, coward that I was. It seemed like no time at all had gone by when Chief Swan left to Port Angeles to pick Bella up from the airport one Sunday afternoon.

I left his place shortly after he had. I trudged back to my house – which, by the way, my parents had moved out of years and years ago when I was twenty – and tried to find something to do. TV was a waste – every channel was some ridiculous sitcom that reminded me of Charlie. Reading was out – it seemed like I had Attention Deficit Disorder with the way I couldn't keep my mind off of Charlie. I resorted to pacing, then, finally, cleaning my attic.

Somewhere in the midst of rummaging through boxes, I heard the cruiser pull into the driveway next door. I debated whether or not I should go over and introduce myself to Bella Swan. I decided not to. If I wanted to spend any time around Chief Swan, I wouldn't want her reporting back to her mother about me.

Nevertheless, I started to make my way out of the attic when something caught my eye – a high power telescope that my father had once used to catch sight of a comet. An idea struck me.

It's not stalking if you just so happen to live next door to the person, is it?


	4. B O Y S

**Okay, so I wasn't _going_ to update this again for a while, seeing as I started "Midnight" already, but all of you seem to like it a lot... so I'm updating.**

**Seriously guys, I'm _so_ glad you love this! I really am! But this story is so much less important to me than "Moonrise", and "Midnight". I'd really appreciate it if you guys would give me feedback on those, too.**

3. B O Y S

Watching the Swan residence from my bedroom window with the high power telescope was, admittedly, boring. It wasn't as if this was _supposed_ to be some adventure, sipping a cup of coffee and watching the seemingly desolate house, but I wished that something... out of the ordinary would happen. But no, this was just my feeble attempt at being with Charlie without actually going near seventeen year old Isabella Swan.

It was around five every morning that Chief Swan exited the house. He always gave that wretched truck the once over before getting into the cruiser and pulling out of the driveway. I watched until he turned the corner. Then I would focus my telescope back on the house. About an hour and a half later, Bella would come out, always careful to lock the door behind her, and start her rumbling engine.

I hated that truck with a passion. Not just the fact that it was Bella's, but its deafening roar woke the whole entire neighborhood every time she put the goddamned key in the ignition.

I didn't often see Bella outdoors. She was always either at school or in her house. Not that anyone in their right mind would spend time outside in Forks. The constant rainfall made that somewhat impossible.

I began to doubt the original purpose as to why I was spying on their household. The only perk I'd had so far was getting to watch Chief Swan bend down and put chains on that truck's tires. Sometimes, he left the curtains up while he got undressed, too, but it was a rare occasion that my waiting was rewarded with such gloriousness. Otherwise, it was merely watching for their leaving and returning. This girl had to be some kind of loser. Did she have _no_ friends? Did she _never_ go out and do something? No. She spent all her time inside, probably doing homework or some other socially outcast activity.

But then, one night, everything changed.

I had just made a fresh pot of coffee, prepared to stay up into the late hours of the night until the last light went off in Charlie's bedroom. It was around nine-thirty when Bella's had gone out, and I knew Charlie would soon be heading upstairs, also. I sighed when I noticed that his curtains were pulled down. No rewards tonight.

I was about to set my alarm and head off to bed when a movement caught my eye. I quickly readjusted my telescope and focused it down on the lawn, but the movement was gone. My pulse raced far beyond its normal rate – it was probably just a neighbor's cat, I told myself. No need to suspect that the Swan house was getting broken into. I squinted into the black night. I could have sworn it was too big for a cat, though.

Then I saw the movement again – on the roof. How had it gotten up there so fast? I was quicker this time, and caught the outline of a boy lurking near Bella's window. Oh? Perhaps she wasn't as outcast as I presumed. I watched in delight as the boy slipped stealthily into her window.

Who was this boy? And, more importantly, did Charlie know Bella was seeing anyone? I continued to watch the house, waiting for that boy to come out. I must have gone through eight cups of coffee, but it wasn't until around four in the morning that he slipped back out of her window.

I'd been holding it in for nearly seven hours. Unable to wait a moment longer without destroying my bladder, I fled my lookout station and wrenched open the door to the bathroom.

As I sat on the porcelain toilet seat, I was deep in thought. I wondered if the two of them had been doing the naughty behind those curtains. I wondered who the boy was. I wondered how I could use this newfound information to my advantage.

It was a feasible idea to take the maternal edge and alert Charlie that I'd seen a boy sneaking around. I'd start out that I was worried about Bella and he and I could sit down with her and have a talk about the birds and the bees. Then he'd ground Bella and send her to her room and he and I could make wild, hot love on the kitchen table.

Except maybe not the birds and the bees part.

The sensible part of me decided I should hold out and see if this behavior continued. If the little tramp kept having boys over doing God knows what in her room with poor, naïve, innocent Charlie in the next room, I'd have to bring it to his attention.

That boy came back almost every night.

Well, I thought bitterly, at least _someone's_ getting some action…

It stopped one Thursday night, the boy didn't sneak up to her window for a couple of nights and I'd thought they'd broken up. But I'll be damned if he didn't start coming back that Sunday.

Later that week, Bella only stopped home from school. It seemed she was going out with her friends. She went in the house and came back out not a minute later. I watched as the three girls sped off in the direction of Port Angeles. _Finally_, I thought, a girls' night out. Some alone time with Charlie…

He got home around six-thirty that night. I went over right away and greeted him.

"Charlie!" I exclaimed, a wide, welcoming, hopefully flirtatious smile plastered on my face.

"Jo! It's been forever!"

"Oh, I know! I've been busy" – watching you – "with stuff for work," I said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

My smile was nothing compared to Charlie's. His dimples made his face look round and creases framed his beautiful, warm eyes, welcoming the conversation.

"So how have you been?" I asked him about fifteen minutes later with yet another cup of coffee sitting in front of me.

"I've been great. It's been so good what with Bella here, now."

I didn't let him see my smile slip. _Bella._ Yes. With _her_ here, why would he need me? Why should _I_ come over and cook dinner when perfect little baby Bella could do it? I took a gulp of my coffee, immediately wishing I hadn't – it was still hot and it burned my throat.

"That's nice," I rasped before going into a coughing fit. Sweet Charlie didn't seem to know what to do. He came over to my side and patted my back gently. I caught my breath – he was touching me! Other than accidental brushes against each other, Charlie never touched me. It was like I'd taken a giant step forward after so many steps back.

As my coughing stopped, so did the touching, though. Of course I was disappointed, but I relished in the fact that I'd had those few short moments of contact.

Charlie and I talked for a while longer, and then he mentioned that the basketball game was going to start soon. I knew how he got so wrapped up in his sports, so I told him I'd better be off, too. I had to finish reading through resumes for work.

No need to mention that I was fired because sleep deprivation was making me pass out on the job.

As I gathered my things and was about to head out, Charlie did something that made my pulse gallop like it was on the homestretch of a racetrack. He hugged me.

It was a tight embrace. His arms were around my waist. I reached up and wrapped my own around his neck and just as I was getting into it, he pulled away, bidding me a goodnight.

I practically skipped back to my look out station to watch for Bella's return. A car finally pulled into the driveway, but not the same car she'd left in. I readjusted my telescope's lenses to get a better look.

It was an expensive car - a Volvo if I'm not mistaken. In the driver's seat was the most handsome boy I'd ever seen. How on _earth_ had someone as plain and homely as _Bella Swan_ managed to woo a boy who could get anyone he wanted? Was this the boy that spent his nights at Bella's?

I sighed, resignedly. Maybe I should take a few pointers from _her_.

They talked for a moment longer before Bella got out and went into the house. I had been watching the boy. Who _was_ this magnificent creature? It didn't take me long to figure it out. Edward Cullen - Carlisle Cullen's adopted son. Who else was that handsome and rich?

My telescope was still fixated on his car and I was still marveling at his beauty when he turned his head and looked directly at me.


	5. B O Y S EPOV

**Well, hello there for the second time today!**

**Well, I just couldn't help myself! Someone suggested that I do this chapter in Edward's point of view, and my, oh my, did that sound fun! So I hopped right to that, and came up with this. **

**Obviously I don't think it's very… good. But that's not for me to decide. It's for you. So here. Read it. Give me feedback on it. And so on, and so forth…**

**And don't forget to look at "Moonrise" and "Midnight" if you haven't already!!!**

3. B O Y S (Edward's Point of View)

"Do you _promise_ to be there tomorrow?"

It was unbelievable. _She_ was unbelievable. After everything she'd learned tonight, after everything she'd found out about me, she _still_ wanted me to be near her. She knew I was a monster, but her biggest concern right now was whether or not I would be in school tomorrow.

I should've told her no. I should've told her I'd never be able to see her again. But I was in too deep now, and I knew it. "I promise," was my immediate response.

Bella sat and stared at me for a moment, her lower jaw thrust forward in a defiant kind of response. After a minute of scrutiny, she nodded. She started to take my jacket off – a jacket that I could never again wear without her scent reminding me of her. She inconspicuously inhaled as it was passing in front of her face. I made a mental note that Bella liked the smell of leather.

I wanted the jacket back, of course. Not because it would keep me warm or because of the expense it had once cost me, but because it was now drenched in the scent of her body and the _warmth_ of her. To put the jacket on would be a great pleasure. But it was a cold night, and the thought of Bella getting sick made me shudder.

"You can keep it – you don't have a jacket for tomorrow."

Hesitantly, it seemed, Bella pushed the jacket toward me. "I don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"Oh, right." The thoughts that would be running through Charlie's head if Bella brought home a boy's jacket were humorous to imagine, and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of his face.

Bella seemed to take a moment, it seemed as though she could not find the door handle. When her hand finally found the knob that would release her from this dangerous fortress with me, she paused as if she wanted to say something more.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wind blowing in the trees among the forest and I was reminded of the day that Bella had gone into the woods surrounding her house utterly alone. The thought of her coming across another of my kind – one not so civilized – made me anxious. After all of this, after tonight, I couldn't allow her to be murdered by one of my kind.

"Bella?" I asked, unsure of whether or not I should clue her in. I didn't want anything to worry the beautiful creature that sat next to me.

"Yes?" she said, stopping her exit short and flipping around to face me again.

"Will you promise me something?"

"Yes."

I chose my wording carefully, not wanting to upset her. "Don't go into the woods alone."

Her curiosity was obvious. "Why?"

I looked again at the trees that concealed so many secrets. "I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that."

My fears of upsetting her were immediately met as her little frame shuddered involuntarily. But she merely said, "Whatever you say."

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said, sighing.

"Tomorrow, then." She then opened the door and fresh night air blew in. I gulped it in, knowing that my car would smell like her for days to come. I couldn't resist it, I leaned over so my face was mere inches from hers.

"Bella?" I ventured again. Anything, just stay here a moment longer…

She turned and seemed slightly taken aback at my close proximity. The shock made her pulse stutter.

"Sleep well," I demanded softly before leaning back. I would know if she didn't.

Bella seemed somewhat dazed and confused. She blinked a few times before getting out of the car, holding onto the side for support. I laughed softly at her knowing when she was more prone to clumsiness.

She walked slowly to the door, her pulse racing. I smiled. How could she be so brave? After finding out what I was? Her bravery was only outdone by her foolishness. She truly had no idea how dangerous I was to her.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone else's.

_Whoa, whoa, WHOA! I know who that is! That's Edward Cullen! How's a girl like her snag a guy like him?_

I had endured thoughts something along those lines all night. At the restaurant I had taken Bella to, the waitress was a little… overly fond of me. But she hadn't known my name. And that had been in a public place, not here, sitting in my car. Alone.

_Is _he_ the guy that's been sneaking into her room at night?_

Busted.

Someone had seen me. Someone had seen me and they were bound to tell Chief Swan, and Chief Swan would tell Bella and then the entire town of Forks would know that I'd been sneaking into Bella's room. Even if it was something as harmless as watching her sleep – not that that was completely harmless in my case – the minds of the citizens of Forks were bound to twist it into something much, _much_ worse.

I let my eyes frantically seek out whom was thinking such things. I immediately found her. One of the neighbors. Jocelyn Johnson was her name. I quickly gathered from her thoughts that she was inappropriately infatuated with Chief Swan. I looked up and there she was, in her bedroom window with a high-powered telescope pointing out directly at me.

This was most certainly _not_ good. I quickly threw the car into reverse and sped down the street, wondering how much she'd seen. This, at any rate, did not mean that I was going to stop going to watch Bella sleep. No, of course not. I'd just have to be more careful in slipping into her window. And I'd have to keep a close eye on Ms. Johnson. If she had any intention of letting slip to Chief Swan that I was sneaking into his house, I'd… well… I didn't know what I'd do. Yet. I'd have to consider some things that would not upset Carlisle…

But when it came down to my skin or hers, I'd most definitely save my own.


	6. G H O S T

**I know, I know, you all thought I was quitting on you. **

**Au contraire, mes amies! I have this whole plot kind of set up, but it's NOT my priority. I know there are a lot of you who really like the idea, but it's never the most important story I'm working on. So, you'll get your updates when you get them. So, please, stop the complaining. It's a wee bit annoying to get ten PMs saying "when are you going to update?!" I'm not trying to be rude, and if I come off that way, please forgive me, but I honestly don't care that much about this story. **

**I'd appreciate if you'd all check out my newest story, "Hero," and I'm not object to you looking at "Moonrise" and "Midnight" still, either. I'm finished them both, and **_**very**_** proud of their success. XD**

**Seriously, though, if you'd read and criticize "Hero" though, that'd make my day!**

**So thank you for the reviews! I **_**am**_** glad you guys like this idea and you think it's original. That's something we need to incorporate more of in nowadays. I'm so sick of seeing the same story written five hundred different ways. **

**So here's an update for y'all. Hope it's at least a **_**little**_** satisfying.**

**Thanks for reading!  
--Mel**

4. G H O S T

The Cullen boy's face expressed the same amount of surprise that I felt. I immediately averted my attention to my cat, which was under the bed.

"Felix," I whispered, my stomach flat against the linoleum floor.

I could feel my pulse in my abdomen. I'd been caught spying on the next-door neighbors. The Cullen boy was sure to tell Bella that her neighbor was peeping, and Bella would tell Charlie who would arrest me and never talk to me again!

Not that I had _any_ objection to Chief Swan putting me in handcuffs, but… under those circumstances, it would not be a pleasurable experience.

A few minutes had passed, and I finally peeked up over the windowsill. Edward Cullen was gone, and I felt like the relieved sigh I let out had been building up inside of me for a week. Now that the boy was gone, I had to be practical. He would not tell Bella that I was spying on her house because then _I_ would tell Chief Swan that Edward had been sneaking into Bella's room. Yes… there… a compromise. I'd keep his secret if he kept mine. I just had to talk to him to make sure he knew I had blackmail on him… yes…

I took a deep breath, finally relaxing. I would come out of this on top. I was Charlie's friend, and Edward was the boy screwing his daughter. I would be _fine._

But I still had knots in my stomach when I lurked in the bushes that night to talk to the Cullen boy face to face.

It didn't take long for him to show. And when he came he was on foot and walking absurdly slowly, hands shoved in his pockets. He paused by the bush I was hiding behind, as if he knew I was there, before continuing his walk a few more paces before I stopped him.

"Edward Cullen?"

The boy stopped a few feet from where I stood, his back facing me. "Ms. Johnson." Slowly, he turned around, and I was faced with inappropriate thoughts for a woman my age to have about a boy his. But, God, he was so handsome…

"Edward. I know you saw me in the window."

"Ms. Johnson, I know _you've_ seen me going into Bella's room every night since last Thursday."

I was surprised, to say the least. Edward was being very upfront with me about the situation, and he seemed very calm.

"I have," I agreed, nodding. "And, Edward, if you… er… happen to mention my little… uh… hobby to Bella or her father, I will _let slip_ that you've been around _late_. Understand, Edward?"

The teenager looked at me with a most calculating expression for a moment, eyebrows raised and a hint of a smirk playing across his lips. "I understand just fine, Ms. Johnson."

I pursed my lips in response. "Well, then… good. And, uh… I'll just let you… carry on now…" and as I started to shuffle back to my house, I could have sworn I'd heard him laugh.

Anger bubbled up underneath the fret. How dare he mock me? I could easily turn him over to Charlie, right now, and _still_ come off looking better than him. I turned on my heel to face him again, but he was gone. I felt my mouth go dry and I swallowed, hard. Gulped, really. He'd just been here, where was he now?

"Eh- Edward?" I called softly into the still, night air. A breeze rustled the leaves in a tree behind me and the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. I heard a ghostly chuckle, and ran – sprinted, actually – back to my front door, wrenching it back and then slamming the deadbolt into place.

Something was out there. And I wanted to find out just what exactly it might be…

G H O S T (Edward's Point of View)

It was halfway back to my house at one-hundred-and-twenty miles an hour when I realized that she would not rat me out. Ms. Jocelyn Johnson would keep her mouth shut, because she would not want her beloved Charlie Swan to know that she was a creepy neighbor that spied on him. There was nothing she could say to justify seeing me sneak into Bella's room at ten o'clock every night.

And just like that, I laughed. I had nothing to fear, I realized as I parked the car in the garage at my house and began running through the trees to Bella's house.

Not to my surprise, but rather my displeasure, Ms. Johnson was waiting to confront me when I arrived at the house that night to see Bella. I sighed; she would hold me up from seeing Bella… from hearing Bella say my name with such affection…

_He'll see things my way, certainly he will. Charlie would castrate him if he found out…_

I slowed at the bush she was hiding behind, giving her the opportune moment to come out and face me, as she so wanted to, but the coward stayed hidden behind the bush.

It was nearly halfway across the lawn to Bella's window when she finally got the courage to show her face.

"Edward Cullen?"

I stopped where I was, refusing to face her immediately. "Ms. Johnson." Now I turned to face her, and was utterly repulsed by the images flashing through her mind. I swallowed the imaginary bile that rose to the back of my throat at the thought of doing what she was thinking about with _anyone_, let alone this old hag. Trying to shake the inappropriate images that were now scorched to my memory away, I tried to focus on what she was _saying_ rather than _thinking_.

"Edward. I know you saw me in the window."

"Ms. Johnson, I know _you've_ seen _me_ going into Bella's room every night since last Thursday."

_Huh, he's not _denying_ it, at any rate… what a mature boy…_

"I have. And, Edward, if you… er… happen to mention my little… uh… hobby to Bella or her father, I will _let slip_ that you've been around _late_. Understand, Edward?"

I could not help but sneer at how easily this woman was intimidated. "I understand just fine, Ms. Johnson."

_What's he smirking at?_ "Well, then… good. And, uh… I'll just let you… carry on now…"

Ms. Johnson turned to walk back to her house, and I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped my chest. Her thoughts flashed red for anger, and I decided I'd have a little fun. As she turned to say something more to me, I ran as fast as I could into the trees that her back now faced. The snicker that I let out at the utterly bewildered look upon the dumb woman's face could have given me away, but I rustled the leaves in the tree to cover up my mistake.

_Oh, no… there's something out here… what is it? Is it a ghost? I've always thought this town was haunted…_

Jocelyn peered over her shoulder, and her own cowardice made apprehension where there normally would be none, and the woman positively galloped back into her accommodation.

I stayed in the tree a moment longer, making sure she did not return to the telescope at her bedroom window. When she showed no signs of doing so, I hurried to get into Bella's room, hoping that Ms. Johnson's antics had not made me miss anything important…


	7. HARD TO GET

**Okay, okay, here I am.**

**This is going to be a super, **_**super**_** short update because I have to go, soon. But I figured that you guys were due for one. XD For those of you who haven't seen it – I now have a picture of Jocelyn in my profile.**

**And, my usual advertisement goes here – go check out Hero. Seriously. Its success is overwhelming, and I'm working my butt off on it. Seriously – go look. **

**In case you're wondering – Bella is at the meadow with Edward during this chapter. It's that day, and, to clear things up, Edward had a little "snack" before he picked Bella up – just to make sure – and decided, while he was at it, that he would terrorize Ms. Johnson a little more. You'll understand.**

**So, here. Have a chapter. (:**

5. HARD TO GET

I was so convinced that I'd felt a presence, that I didn't sleep one wink. I even e-mailed the TAPS team. I'd seen them on the Sci-Fi channel, and I wondered if they could help. They never e-mailed me back…

I wanted to think that I'd imagined the whole thing – but the hair on the back of my neck had stood straight up, I knew that I hadn't imagined that. It'd felt as though someone had breathed on the back of my neck while my head was turned, and it scared the living daylights out of me.

I kept a watchful eye on the area, but not on Charlie's house, anymore. I didn't dare look through my telescope again while Edward Cullen knew that I could be watching. I started to shut myself in, more, afraid to go outside. I just _knew_ that something was out there. I kept watching for more signs of paranormal activity, but nothing happened for a while and I began to write the whole thing off.

Until my cat died.

Felix hadn't died like a normal cat should. After all, he was a young kitty – six or seven – and he was rather fat. It wasn't like I'd starved him! No, one day, as I was coming home from picking up my week's worth of groceries, something in the driveway caught my eye.

The tabby cat lay in a heap, but looked unusually thin for his normal self. I stopped the car a few yards away and got out to look at him. He didn't look as though he'd been hit. I suppose you're wondering why I wasn't very sad about the whole thing? Well, I've never exactly been a cat person. But my mother was scolding me about having no company in the house, threatening to move back in. Well, I couldn't have that! So I went to the local pound and, voila, Felix. It was good enough for my mother to back off.

But here he was, the lovable, fat, little tabby cat – completely and utterly dead. His eyes were wide, and his mouth open, as if he'd been yowling in pain – or fear – as he died. It wasn't a natural death, that much was plain to see. His neck was bloody and, when I picked him up to move him, he was unreasonably light for a dead animal. I wrapped him in a blanket and trudged my way to my favorite person's house.

I knew Charlie was fishing today – if I didn't know his schedule by now, I would probably kill myself – but I also knew that he had a shovel in the back shed. I'd have to bury the animal, so I went over to pick it out of the little shack.

I began to feel wary, though. As if I was being watched. I brought the shovel over to my back yard and started to dig a hole. Vaguely, I wondered where Bella was today. It was a Saturday, and I wondered if she might be with the Cullen boy again. I stabbed at the dirt with the shovel more viciously now, my discontent causing my work to become more aggressive. Evening came and neither of the Swans had returned yet, but I was so caught up in my work that I didn't notice

So I didn't hear him sneak up on me.

"Jo, what are you doing?" the kind voice of Charlie Swan wafted through the air.

"Oh!" I said, whirling to face him. He was looking concerned, and I decided to play up the sympathy card. "Oh, um… my cat," I let my voice shake with pretend emotion. "He died. I… I borrowed your shovel so that I could bury him."

Charlie looked at me with obvious discomfort. He didn't know how to react – Charlie had never exactly been the emotional type – so he just nodded with a look of forced sympathy on his face and helped me put the earth back in the hole over the cat's body.

"Say – Bella's probably out doing some shopping. Did you want to come in?"

My heart thumped wildly at the proposal. But, using everything I had in me, I turned the offer down. "Nah, thanks Char. I've got to get back in and do some stuff for work…" I mumbled. Do some stuff for work as in – look for a new job!

I didn't _want_ to refuse Charlie, but my tactics were failing thus far. Perhaps it was time to take on a different approach.

Commence operation "hard to get".


	8. Goodbye to You

Hello, anyone who's reading.

I have come to say an official farewell. Twilight Fanfiction was my world for a good amount of time. I gathered fans and readers and a lot of positive feedback, and it was an eye opener for me. Because of this website and Twilight in general, I know now that I want to be a writer. In the fall, I will be attending Susquehanna University as a creative writing major - pursuing my dreams, something I never thought I'd end up doing. There will always, always be a special place in my heart for Twilight, but it's been time to move on...for a long time. I will not be completing Hero or What Would the Neighbors Think? because I do not have enough interest in them anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and everyone has been incredibly kind. My sincerest thanks to all of you - without your eager reviews, who knows where I'd be? I will still read fanfiction and review your stories, but updating (as you may have noticed) will not be happening anymore.

If you are ever in the mood to say hello or even if you liked my writing enough (which is hard to believe, haha. Looking back on these stories is a trip - they're _absurd!_) I ask you to swing by my FictionPress account or my Mibba account. If you get to know me, I may even offer my MySpace URL. For now, though, I ask you look at my bio for the links to the websites where I will post my original works.

Thank you again, everyone. It's been so fun.

I adore you all,  
Mel.


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